Oroville >> The Butte County District Attorney's Office has made an offer to resolve the cases of 22 people charged following the takeover of the Tyme Maidu Tribal Offices in Oroville last May.

The defendants are each charged in Butte County Superior Court with felony vandalism causing damage over $400 for their alleged involvement during the nearly 12-hour incident at the offices at Gold Country Casino on May 16. If convicted, the charge could result in a three-year county prison sentence.

Following a hearing Wednesday, supervising deputy district attorney Kurt Worley said the prosecution has offered to resolve the cases as misdemeanors, provided all of the current co-defendants agree. He said all the defendants allegedly committed the act together and the defendants could act together to resolve the case as a misdemeanor.

Under the proposal, defendants would be placed on probation and ordered to pay restitution.

Butte County sheriff's deputies and tribal officials estimated the standoff caused more than $20,000 in damage to walls, windows, doors, computers and other property.

Worley said the defendants would also be ordered to stay off tribal property. He said the offer includes a narrowly tailored exception for the two co-defendants currently living on tribal property.

Judge Tamara Mosbarger set a May 14 settlement conference for the defendants, ahead of setting a trial date in the matter.

The defendants were indicted by the Butte County Grand Jury in February, which heard testimony and evidence in the case in January.

During the standoff, 19 people locked and barricaded themselves inside tribal officers, reportedly over the tribe disenrolling four individuals.

Following the incident, investigators found absentee ballots from the disenrollment process removed from ballot boxes and shredded. Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey has said 17 co-defendants were trial members, including the four on the ballot. The four were subsequently disenrolled.

The prosecution has alleged there was video surveillance that showed four people drove pickups to the site with tools, lumber and chicken wire before the incident began. Another individual allegedly worked inside and provided the group with a key.

After the standoff, investigators found lumber, wire, tarps and straps drilled into walls, windows and doors throughout the tribal offices' two building. Officials also found baseball bats, slingshots, bear pepper spray and sleeping bags.

Worley said all available defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the indictment. There were arrest warrants out for the two defendants still at large, David Manuel Donez Jr., 26, of Chico, and Robert Lew Wagner Jr., 36, of Orland.

All are charged with vandalism. In addition, David Donez Jr., Eric Sargent and Robert Wagner Jr., face the special allegation they served a prior prison term. If found to be true, the allegation could add a year to any prison sentence.

Donez Jr. also faces a prior strike allegation, which could double his sentence.